Small businesses big plank in Republican anti-tax push

On Tuesday at the White House and next week in the House, independent businesspeople will huddle separately with President Obama and Republican leaders.

While Obama will stress the importance of extending tax cuts for 98% of American taxpayers, Republicans are using their meeting to highlight their party’s opposition to higher rates on all incomes — including those above $250,000. That’s the threshold sought by the White House in fiscal cliff negotiations.

In a statement on Tuesday, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy said House Republican leaders will meet with small business owners on Dec. 5.

“House Republicans support a competitive economy where all Americans can achieve success, and we know that the key to fixing our economic woes isn’t to increase taxes on hard-working people, but is a comprehensive, ‘balanced’ approach that includes sensible spending cuts,” McCarthy said Tuesday.

The meeting will no doubt yield anecdotes from those who would lose money if their tax rates went up to the level that Obama is pushing for. But so far Obama has been insistent that rates on the wealthiest need to rise to help close the U.S. budget deficit.

Republicans are banking on the White House and voters seeing it their way, however. A Republican leadership aide said that members of the party will hold events with small businesses over the coming days and weeks to highlight the impact of Obama’s plan.

On the Senate side, meanwhile, Maine Republican Susan Collins is calling for an exemption for small businesses if taxes go up as part of a budget deal.

Both Obama and House Republican leaders are planning more fiscal-cliff diplomacy on Wednesday, in a pair of separate meetings with CEOs.